Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee is one of twelve similar Committees around the coast of England and Wales. Half of each Committee membership is made up of local Councillors, with the remainder being appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), from nominated people that are familiar with the fishing industry. The Committees are responsible for the management of fish stocks in the inshore waters (out to the 6 mile limit) and the necessary enforcement regime that flows as a natural consequence from the management duty. In recent years the remit of the Committees have been enhanced by the inclusion of environmental and conservation powers. The Cornwall Committee employs seven fishery officers and one office staff, to carry out its functions through the Sea Fisheries Service. This Service unit is attached to the Chief Executives Department.

The core activities of the Service are:

1. to fulfil the statutory protection and enforcement duties within the Cornwall Sea Fisheries District, some 1,350 square nautical miles, from Rame head on the south coast, to Marsland mouth on the north coast.

2. Enforcement at sea is carried out with a new 27 metre purpose designed patrol vessel, the AFPV Saint Piran which was delivered in May 2000. This new vessel enables fishery officers to safely undertake their duties in weather conditions that the previous vessel was unable to consider.

3. From the vessel, Officers board fishing vessels in the District, checking for fish sizes, net sizes, dredge dimensions and permits.

4. Ashore, the Service has a dedicated Landrover to patrol the many ports and fish landing stations of Cornwall, allowing fishery officers to check the sizes of the fish being landed and the mesh size of the nets being used.

5. The Landrover is also used to tow the shore based boarding boat AInterceptor, to be launched at many points around the coast. This capability allows a great deal of flexibility for patrolling in the numerous bays and estuaries on a quick response basis, if and when an incident occurs.

The purchase of the new patrol vessel FPV Saint Piran, was made possible with a 50% grant from the central government initiated ACapital Challenge scheme and the remaining 50% made up from the European Union Fisheries Enforcement Grant. The new vessel has been designed for the weather conditions frequently experienced around the coast of Cornwall. She will allow the Patrol Service to work safely in conditions that were impossible to work with our previous boat, the AVerifier.

Saint Piran has also been purposely designed with a multi-role basis in mind. With the facility of a research laboratory onboard, we will for the first time be able to undertake our own marine surveys to collect data for the local arena. Additionally, in the event of an incident at sea on the scale of the ATorrey Canyon disaster, she could be tasked as a Control Centre Afloat to direct the necessary response and effort against pollution, be the collector for on-scene assessment (real time),be the director of search patterns and so on.

The Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee has over the last decade or so, led the way regarding the management and protection of juvenile fish in inshore waters. Many of the minimum fish sizes set by byelaw for some fish and shellfish species in the Cornish waters, are now being introduced in other regions by the local, national and European authorities. The visionary approach by the Committee will maintained as it works in partnership with others toward a comprehensive fisheries management package for the District, building on the groundbreaking work it has already achieved over the last 110 years.

The fishing industry in Cornwall has declined in recent years, although it still employs 1,200 fishermen directly, with a further 4,500 persons ashore employed in ancillary and servicing roles. In a recent study carried out by the Sea Fisheries Service, it was found that 2.74% of Cornwall=s working population rely on fish, to a greater or lesser extent, for their employment.

The maintenance of the inshore fishery stocks and habitats on which the industry relies, is a long term economic and environmental aim. To that end the Service will assist the newly opened Lobster Hatchery to Aseed juvenile lobsters onto suitable grounds around Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. www.nationallobsterhatchery.com

More information

If you require further information about our services, please contact the Chief Fisheries Officer on (01736) 369817 or facsimile (01736) 331020